Left-hander David Price certainly has shown why the Tigers acquired him. Look at the starts he has made for them:

■ He took a 5-0 lead and a two-hitter to the sixth inning in Toronto.

■ He pitched a one-hitter.

■ And Saturday he pitched 82/3 innings, struck out 11 and held the scorching Giants to one run and four hits after the first inning.

But the Tigers have lost all three games.

On Saturday, despite two home runs from Miguel Cabrera and one from Victor Martinez, they lost, 5-4. After Price retired the first two hitters in the first, the next five got hits, producing four runs. Buster Posey hit a solo home run in the fifth for the run that became the difference.

In Price’s quickly bulging file of frustration, this defeat joins the game in Toronto, which the Tigers lost in 19 innings, and the one-hitter, which he lost, 1-0, on an unearned run.

We are still getting to know Price, but it appears he isn’t one to say, “I pitched pretty well, but things just didn’t work out.”

After Saturday’s game, he said it “all boils down to executing pitches,” and “that’s something I haven’t done particularly well since I’ve been here.” He didn’t speculate why.

As a Tiger, Price is 4-for-7 in quality starts. His record is 2-3 with a 4.10 ERA (it was 3.11 with Tampa Bay this season). The Tigers are 3-4 when he starts.

Price’s problem in the first inning appeared to be that he couldn’t locate his fastball. The Giants jumped him fewer than 13 hours after the conclusion of Friday night’s rain-delayed game.

“It was a long night, and you’re facing one of the best in the game,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “You’re proud of the guys at how they came out and got after it. That first inning can determine the game, as it did today.”

The Tigers’ loss ensured that Kansas City will be alone in first place in the AL Central when it arrives at Comerica Park for Monday’s game. That will be the first of six Tigers-Royals games in a two-week span. When those six games are done, a week will remain in the season. That final week will begin with K.C. concluding the suspended game in which it trails Cleveland, 4-2, with at least three outs left.

“There is a ton of baseball left,” Price said. “We play Kansas City six times, and we can gain a lot of ground in those six games. So just go out there and win baseball games and get hot.” (The race is close because the Tigers have beaten the Royals so often — nine times in 13 meetings.)

In Price’s previous home start, he got knocked out in the third inning and lost to the Yankees. On that night, as on Saturday, Drew Smyly — the pitcher the Tigers traded for him — shackled the heavy-hitting Orioles in a Tampa Bay victory. Smyly’s totals for those two games against Baltimore are 13 innings, six hits, two runs and 14 strikeouts.

Contact John Lowe: jlowe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @freeptigers.